I have been wondering how you are, so thank you for letting us know dad's results.  It's difficult to digest news of this sort and I sympathize completely with how you must all be feeling but hopefully the chemotherapy will work well for dad and other treatment options will follow.  I hope you hear soon when the chemo will start.  All the very best to you and your family x

Thank you for the update cantcope = another waiting thingee? Still, behind the scenes they are panning the treatment and making up the chemo and getting it all ready. So, it wont be too long now. As its a New Year - so its a New Start = so we will pray with you that Dad will respond to the chemo and get better again for you all xx

Steven

Right goes dads been on the phone today and  finally after 7 and a half weeks fro first finding out about his cancer he has actually spoken to a doctor at the hospital (other than being told over the phone by the consulatants receptionist) The people he has been dealing with have now divised a treatment plan of chemo for 6 mths which consists of (excuse the spellings) oxaliplatin,folfo and avastin or 5fu ??

he should hopefully hear this week early next as to when this starts he was undecided as to weather to go ahead with treament but after talkng to someone he is now on board as if let untreated the rate at which things are progressing the cosultant say he has months rather than years.

So fingers crossed after 6mth we get the desired outcome.

Has anyone had any dealing with this course of treatment what should i expect 

thankyou for all your support and prayers xx

Hi can't cope.  How is it going at the moment.,  I am fine thank you. Kathy x

Hi!

I am currently on the combination of oxaliplatin and 5FU. Well, the oxaliplatin was discontinued a few weeks back. Six month course but will take longer as I have had delays due to blood counts.

My experience is, you need to fight to get things started. I had emergency surgery in August in Finland when I travelled there for a 'long weekend'. Found out I would have died within a couple of days as my bowel was about to burst. The op was a success. Lots of bowel removed but both ends successfully re-attached.

I contacted my gp while I was still recovering and she contacted the hospital to get things started for chemo when I was fit to fly back. The oncologist in Finland said that the treatment should start sometime after four weeks from the op and absolutely no later than eight weeks after. I was expecting the letter from the hospital on my return but as there was none, I had to call the hospital and found out my papers had been lost.

Then the process seemed to be like I had not even been diagnosed, and there seemed to be no hurry. I called and sent emails and demanded an appointment and finally got one.  The oncologist here told me their time frame was 8 to 12 weeks after surgery! No wonder the survival rates are low. In the end I started my chemo 6 weeks after my surgery but if I hadn't really fought for it, god knows how long it would have taken.

My cancer has spread to my lymph nodes so I guess the outlook isn't that good but you just have to live for the day and hope for the best. One good thing is that I have had no major side effects except I eat like a horse and have put on more weight than I lost at the hospital. (11 days out of which 9 just with a tube attached to my vein and no food or drink). I have at least two months left of the treatment and then hopefully a lot of time in relatively good health.

I think it is more difficult for those who watch from the sidelines than it is for us who are ill. We just have to take it as it is and there is nothing you can do except trust that the medical profession will do their best.

xx

Hi Max and hi Kathy - glad to hear your well x things at the moment are horrible tbh, dad started his chemo on 23rd Jan was rushed into hospital on 24th suffering a heart attack brought on by chemo(5fu) he the suffered a cardiac arrest on the 25th all the time this was going on no one turned his chemo pump off, they managed to bring him back to which he is very angry at as he didn't want that :0 While all this was going on his partner collapsed at home and was rushed in only to find out she had a Brian tumor and was given only weeks she lost her fight on 14th Feb so the rest of the weeks n days since has been a constant battle between my dad and her children who r being very (let's just say ) ugly about things eg belongings money etc and blaming dad for not being there for her in the end .Anyway back to dad he is now living with us and we await a cardiologist opinion as to whether he is strong enough for more chemo if not he has 6mth max with 18_2 years if he does have chemo expected start date 10th of march he could arrest again and he now has a dnr in place so yes things are a little messy at the moment xx I thank you for your concern xxx